Outset

Outset builds an AI-moderated research platform that lets teams run in-depth qualitative interviews at scale and synthesises the results into actionable insights. Its AI interviewer leads natural, human-like conversations, asks follow-up questions, adapts to responses in real time and distils findings automatically. The platform compresses research cycles that once took weeks into hours: customers report running 100 interviews in days, or 75 interviews overnight with a single researcher. It is used by enterprises including Microsoft, Nestlé, Uber and HubSpot.

The engineering work spans natural language conversation AI, real-time conversational adaptation, qualitative research automation and automated insight synthesis. Applications cut across market research, product research and management, market exploration and brand positioning. The company has grown eightfold year on year and is headquartered in San Francisco.

Outset is a tight-knit team of around 30 people who move fast and ship constantly. Its stated position is that AI should deepen human understanding rather than replace it, with the goal of giving research a seat at the table in decision-making. Investors include Y Combinator, 8VC, Radical Ventures and M12, Microsoft's venture arm.